How to Creatively Sell Your Products on Pinterest

Here’s the thing about selling on any social network: People get very touchy if they feel they’re being pitched to, so you have to get creative. The majority of folks online are doing their social networking during their downtime as a way to relax. They don’t want advertisements and spiels to be front and center. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not interested in buying.

What follows are some tips for selling on Pinterest:

Use images that paint the product or service in a positive light. When adding any item directly to Pinterest, or even to a blog, website, sales page, or online catalog, use the most enticing shots possible. Remember that people can pin content from your blog and other web pages, so you want your content to look good! Consider getting a professional photographer to take the photos.

Product placement counts for a lot. Create boards and pins that aren’t about selling but have your product in the shot. For example, if your brand sells organic fruit and you create a board with home design ideas, place bowls of fruit in the shot.

Make it easy for pinners to buy. If you pin an enticing product, folks need to know where to go to buy it. If you can’t lead to a sales page, make sure the page the pin does lead to offer details on where to find the product.

Create a gift guide. Pinterest allows pinners to add prices to pins so the product is in the Pinterest Gifts section.

Pin shareable content. Pin the types of images people like to share. Make sure they’re pleasing to the eye and evoke emotion. Look around Pinterest at which pins are the most popular or viral. See whether you can “pin down” the common denominator among the most popular pins.

Use enticing words and phrases. Be descriptive without selling. If you’re pinning food, use words that make people hungry, such as succulent or mouth-watering. If you’re pinning clothes, use words that make the potential wearer feel as if the style will look good on her, such as flattering.

Don’t spam. If you spam or push sales in a heavy way, you’ll gain a bad reputation. Don’t tag random people in your pins and say things like, “Hey! Have you checked out our great new thing-a-ma-bob?” The quickest way to lose followers is to be a spammer.

Share images of influential people using your product. Do famous people use your product or service? Gather photographs and pin them. Nothing inspires people to buy more than knowing their heroes use a product.

Make sure pinners know where the original photo came from. If possible, add the name of your brand to your pin. This way, folks can come to your website or research your brand for more information. Even better, link back to the product page on your website or blog.

Major brands are on Pinterest, and they’re selling in a big way. They’re able to do so because Pinterest offers a unique opportunity to sell using images instead of words. Most people will agree that marketing lingo and smarmy sales tactics are a turn-off. However, a strong visual can help viewers picture themselves using the product or service.

Pinterest gives you a chance to show, rather than tell. And everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words.

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